An ifeng.com survey of 35,000 Web users was split almost 50-50 on whether app developers should accept partial responsibility for suspects finding victims. About 45 percent of those polled argued "gun makers should not be charged for crimes committed with their guns".
A sophomore named Wu at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies who said she has received anonymous sexually harassing messages on Weixin also suggested the developer add functions such as being able to block senders.
A spokesman from mobile messaging services Momo said the application is by no means designed to facilitate fraud and theft and that the company has been trying to tip users to potential risks by sending messages.
Dai Peng, a criminal investigation expert at Chinese People's Public Security University, said Weixin-related crimes are "old wine in new bottles", meaning that criminals are playing old tricks with the advantage of high technologies.
The essence of the crimes are not different from ordinary robberies and thefts, he said, just like other kinds of Internet-based crimes.
Dai said he believes application development companies should notify users to potential dangers they may face when using such services.
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